The inaugural flight of the new year-round Cathay Pacific four times weekly non-stop service to Hong Kong arrived at Dublin Airport on Saturday 2nd June 2018. Above are Cathay Pacific cabin crew Christine Wang and Winnie Phan with James Ginns, Regional General Manager Europe, Cathay Pacific, and Vincent Harrison, Managing Director, Dublin Airport.
The Hong Kong-based airline will operate the new service with an A350-900 in a three-class configuration on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The service is Dublin Airport’s first ever non-stop route to the Asia-Pacific region and is a major milestone for the airport and the entire Irish economy.
Vincent Harrison, Managing Director, Dublin Airport, said: “This is a historic and momentous day. We are delighted to welcome Cathay Pacific to Dublin Airport and to Ireland. Today is the result of collaboration of many years’ work with a wide range of other bodies such as the Irish Embassy in China, the Consulate in Hong Kong, our colleagues at Tourism Ireland, and other key stakeholders such as IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia.
“Trade between Ireland and China is worth more than €8 billion per annum and almost 100 Irish firms have operations in China, employing a total of 100,000 people there. With an estimated 4,000 Irish people living in Hong Kong and about 40,000 people per year travelling between our two cities, I have no doubt that this new route will be popular for business and leisure travellers. We will work closely with Cathay Pacific to market the new route.”
James Ginns, General Manager Europe, Cathay Pacific, said: “We are delighted that Ireland’s first and only non-stop flight to Hong Kong has been well-received by customers. Our team is thrilled to be able have a role in fostering bilateral tourism and economic growth between Ireland and Asia. We feel confident that this new route will continue to bring more convenience and choice to the Irish public and optimise opportunities for Irish businesses.”
The Dublin flight will arrive in Hong Kong early in the morning local time, providing a wide range of connecting options with flights to mainland China, Japan, Korea, South-East Asia and Australia on the Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon networks.
Cathay Pacific, which is part of the Oneworld alliance, has flights to 197 destinations in 48 countries and territories. It operates a fleet of 144 aircraft with orders for a further 53 aircraft for delivery until 2024. Its short-haul subsidiary Cathay Dragon flies to 56 destinations in mainland China and other Asian countries.
Flight Times
In summer, the flight will depart Dublin at 11.55, arriving in Hong Kong at 07.05. The return flight will depart Hong Kong at 00.50, arriving in Dublin at 06.45.
In winter, the flight will depart Dublin at 11.00, arriving in Hong Kong at 07.30. The return flight will depart Hong Kong at 00.15 and arrive in Dublin at 05.30.
